Petraeus Takes a Pay Cut: $200K to $1

David Petraeus speaks at the annual dinner for veterans and ROTC students at the University of Southern California. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

(Newser)
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David Petraeus and the City University of New York have been embroiled in a minor scandal this month, after it was revealed the former CIA chief was going to be paid $200,000 a year to teach at the college part-time. Now CUNY has revised his "visiting professor" salary—to $1, the New York Times reports. The original salary was first uncovered by Gawker, which reported Petraeus would do a seminar and two lectures a year for the money (though later revised down to $150,000)—with grad students taking care of things like "course research, administration, and grading"—while the average first-time adjunct professor at the college is paid $25,000 for a full-time course load (the average full-time faculty member makes $89,768, adds the Times).

After several weeks of public criticism, CUNY announced the pay cut today. "The general never was taking on this teaching assignment for the money," says Petraeus' lawyer, per the Times. "Once controversy arose about the amount he was being paid, he decided it was much more important to keep the focus on the students, on the school and on the teaching, and not have it be about the money." The dean of CUNY's honors college, nevertheless, stands by the price tag. "We felt that we had the opportunity to bring somebody of extreme stature to be with our students and that whether the salary was $200,000 or $150,000 he was absolutely worth it," she says. (Read more David Petraeus stories.)